CEPF is a joint initiative of l'Agence Française de Développement, Conservation International, the European Union, the Global Environment Facility, the government of Japan, the​​ MacArthur Foundation and the World Bank.

Through grants to civil society — nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), private sector entities, communities and individuals — CEPF empowers people to be good stewards of the planet so they and future generations continue to benefit from its life-sustaining resources like clean air, fresh water, a stable climate and healthy soils.​

Our plan

Are guided by regional investment strategies—ecosystem profiles—developed with local stakeholders.

Go directly to civil society groups to build this vital constituency for conservation alongside governmental partners. Grants are awarded on a competitive basis to implement the conservation strategy developed in each ecosystem profile.

Help governments meet targets related to the U.N.’s Convention on Biological Diversity, Framework Convention on Climate Change, and Sustainable Development Goals.

Image with Text Overlay Config

EditText:More than
$191 million in grants has been given to more than
2,000 civil society organizations and individuals in more than
89 countries and territories around the globe, leveraging more than
$347 million in additional funds from other donors.

In addition to establishing or expanding more than
13 million hectares of critical ecosystems, CEPF grantees have improved the management of more than
35 million hectares of key biodiversity areas and more than
5.9 million hectares of production landscapes – areas used for crops or other products.

With just
0.5% of total biodiversity-related aid to developing countries, CEPF has made a vital contribution to conservation of the world’s biodiversity hotspots by helping to establish
6% of all terrestrial area protected from 2000 to 2010.

​Block Quote

Block Quote Config

EditQuote Text (Do not add quotation marks):The last decade of work by the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund represents the most significant response of our species to date to stop the hemorrhaging of our planet’s biodiversity.

EditImage Description: A local boy travels across the Sanetti Plateau, in the Bale Mountains of Ethiopia, on horseback

EditText: Before investing in a region’s vital ecosystems, CEPF brings together regional and local stakeholders to determine priorities and draft a plan of action. Through the participation of a wide range of local, regional and international stakeholders in the development of the profile, the resulting strategy not only reflects the best and latest knowledge about the hotspot, but also builds consensus among participants as to how to move forward together on conservation. The profiling process provides a foundation for collaboration among NGOs, researchers and government, and offers other donors a roadmap for investing in the most urgent conservation priorities and complementing ongoing efforts.

EditText: Health and livelihoods in the Sekong River Basin in Laos are threatened by increased demand for fish, forest products and electricity. With support from CEPF and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), Laos communities are co-managing fisheries and protecting the freshwater ecosystems they rely on.
READ MORE: Healthy Fish Habitat Secures Food and Income

EditImage Description: Scenes of Tiwai Island in Sierra Leone, the work-site of CEPF grantee the Environmental Foundation for Africa

EditText: To guard against further environmental damage and help nearby communities recover from more than a decade of war, CEPF provided support to the Environmental Foundation for Africa (EFA) to restore Sierra Leone’s Tiwai Island, whose concentration and variety of primates is among the highest in the world. In collaboration with local communities, EFA constructed facilities for scientific research and a visitor center, merging protected area management and community development needs.READ MORE: Creating a Culture of Conservation in Sierra Leone